Human beings are more alike than we are unalike

As humans we have a tendency to want to be on top at the expense of others. To beat out our counterparts. To make them look bad. Believing falsely that when we do so, we make ourselves look better. When in reality we make our collective whole look bad when we make one look bad because we are one in the same. As the late great Dr. Maya Angelou says, “Human beings are more alike than they are unalike”.

We are all of the same essence. Come from the same place –wherever that may be. We all have similar genes and are similarly made up. And I believe we are of the same energy – that when we upset the energy of one, we upset the energy of all.

When we sling mud, throw stones and call names, we hurt ourselves because at the base of it all we are talking about our own insecurities. Think about it. How can we be such experts on a particular behavior if we do not know it intimately? The only way we can be so vehement about something is because we either have experienced it or we are afraid to experience it. Therefore we lash out, thinking we are protecting ourselves when in fact we are damaging ourselves. Helping to make our human race that much more vulnerable and fragile by manifesting bad energy. Opening the door for negative energy to grow and expand. Snake into our hearts and souls. Leading us down a path of darkness.

So I believe the question we need to be asking ourselves is, what do I do today to become the person I want to become? Substitute that question rather than trying our hardest to tear each other down. Rather than trying our hardest to deflect the attention away from ourselves by pulling down another. We are all human beings and as the late great Maya Angelou also said quoting from Terrence, “I am a human being. Nothing human can be alien to me.”

And the reason it can’t be alien is because what one does as a human, we are all capable as humans of doing. Therefore we are not meant to judge another but rather to accept that we could be in that person’s shoes because we are capable of carrying out any action that another human can. So let’s start changing the way we act, react to each other and instead intend to use our energy constructively. Lifting each other up. Praising each other. Showing compassion for each other because we are one in the same – human beings looking to give and receive love.

There is no need to tear down each other because in tearing down one, we tear down us all. Remembering always we, human beings, are more alike than we are unalike. Because at the end of our lives, the question we will most likely ask is not how much did we hate. No the question will be how much did we love? So why waste our time living hating and destroying when we could be making and giving love – adding to the abundance that exists for us all.

We are sensual beings

The other morning someone shared a beautiful video put out by the South African Tourism Department. A brilliant video enticing us to come to South Africa. And what is so brilliant about it is that it touched something deep within me. Something that is within us all. That something that tells us experience is much greater than what we can see. Much greater than what meets the eye. It is what we feel. What titillates our entire being and makes us want to know more. Awakens every sense within us as we are sensual beings.

This video allowed me to understand that experience is so many things that we take for granted because we expect the world to be colored by what we see. And sometimes the world is colored more by what we feel. The man featured in the South African video is blind but leads us on a visual journey through a blind man’s eyes. But yet we believed we were seeing what he saw through his eyes. Until the very end when we discover that we were not seeing the man’s journey through his eyes because he could not see. We were seeing his journey through feelings. Deep, primal  feelings that appeal to us all.  A sense. A deeper journey than what meets the eye. Showing us that even a blind man can see.  And can see on a much deeper level than those of us who have the gift of sight.

What this video illustrated to me is our journey is sometimes overlooked because we are so busy trying to see what comes next rather than experiencing where we are with every sense we have highly alert and stimulated. And when we do, we lose out on filling our whole beings with the new.

This video illustrated that often we see, feel and hear more when our eyes are wide shut. When we focus on where we are. When we block out the distractions that make us miss out on the beauty right in front of us. Instead asking us to take in all that is available for us where we are. And when we do, our experience is that much greater. That much more rewarding because we really appreciate it from our core.

What the South African Tourism department has done is not just capture the sights and the sounds of South Africa, they have brilliantly captured the feel, the sensation of experience. The escape we are all looking for. The romance we are all looking for. The unexpected that is right there in front of us but we fail to see because we believe the world is meant to be as we expect it to be when  it is as it is. A wonder in itself. They have appealed to our sensual being shocking us to see that experience is more than what meets the eye.

Experience. True experience is letting go and allowing ourselves to become fully immersed in the feelings we get wherever we are. When we feel, see, hear, smell, taste and touch life with all senses without judgment or expectation. When we allow ourselves to float in the stream of life and let it carry us on a sensual experience indescribable but touching nonetheless.

Brilliant, South Africa for awakening me to the fact that life is all about the flow.  Experiences that touch our soul and liberate our spirit so we believe we can fly. So we believe we can be anything. So we can know for the first time, the only limitation to our experience is us.

For we are sensual beings titillated by what appeals to us on a much deeper level. A level that takes us back to Spirit. Back to where we came from and where we will return. Beautiful. 

A tribute to my ancestors on a Special Day

I rose this morning to the darkness of the day. Opened the blinds because the outdoors and all of its possibility called my name. Asked me to open up to it. To see what it had to offer. To feel the magic of this day as I did some 11 years ago when my precious daughter came out of me into this world. Ready to embrace it. Knowing what to do without me telling her. Without me showing her. Her wide eyes staring into my eyes as if to say, "I have arrived."

When I opened the blinds, there in front of me was a lone star. A star that twinkled in the otherwise dark sky. I stood and looked at that star and all I heard was the voice of Dr. Maya Angelou reciting, “Still I rise”. A lump formed in my throat as I remembered on this happy day for me and my daughter and my family that a voice has gone from this Earth to embody that star. To be that star that shone into my eyes this morning. Finding its way into my soul. And it was in that moment that I knew I had to honour my ancestors in order for me to honour my daughter on her special day. Because without them, there could be no her because there could be no me nor my family without the work they did before me. Before us.

Today is my daughter’s birthday. Her 11^th birthday and I was between two minds as to whether to write my tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou or to talk about my daughter. But it was that star that encouraged me to do both.

You see my daughter is the next generation.  The generation that is coming up looking to us for direction. Looking to us for guidance. Looking to us to lead by example.  So I am dedicating this tribute to my elders to my beautiful daughter as a birthday gift so she can remember those that came before her. So she can know those that paved the way for her to lead a life less troubled than her elders who came before her did. To know I am not cheating her of her birthday but enhancing her birthright of being who she is as she is because of those who walked before her.

Dr. Maya Angelou

Nelson Mandela

Our leaders

Our elders

Are leaving us

Moving on

Making room for us

The younger

The future

To rise

To rise our heads

Above the crowd

To hold our heads high

To hold our shoulders erect

To not cast our eyes down

But to look forward

To remember

From whence we have come

To sing our song

To enunciate our words

To speak their names

To hold them in regard

To honor their legacy

The path they paved for us

By respecting what they have done

By continuing their journey

Making it our own

Not through blood

Not through hatred

Not through degradation

But through rising up

Rising up

With dignity

With honour

With pride

And assurance

To know

We are a part

Of a changing world

A world open for us

Whether it is ready for us

Or not

To know

It is up to us

To honour

Dr. Maya Angelou

Nelson Mandela

And those that came before them

Those that paved the way for them

Paving the way for us

By being the best we can

By accepting with pride

We are descendants of slaves

Brought to this new world

Not to enslave our minds

But to free our minds

Open our minds

To all that is possible

To bring forth our gifts

Of spirituality

Mysticism

And old world secrets

Locked deep in the recesses of our brains

To this New World

To change its complexion

To break down its walls

To bridge gaps that need to be bridged

To lessen its complexity

By taking away its sameness

And bringing it forth

Into

A world of

Diversity

Understanding

And blending

To be the phenomenal people

We were born to be

Sent here to be

Descendants of slaves

Descendants of slave masters

Together

Forging the way

Of yesterday’s tears to

Today

Tomorrow

And always

As we rise up

Proclaiming in the words of Dr. Maya Angelou

“Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.”

Still we rise

Still we rise

We rise

We rise

We rise

RIP Dr. Maya Angelou

RIP Nelson Mandela

Matriarch and Patriarch

Of our modern times

To so many of us

Though you are gone

In the physical

In our hearts and souls

You will always remain

As

We will forever

Speak

Your names

With honour and respect

Gratitude and Peace

Love and Light

Dr. Maya Angelou

Nelson Mandela

We will forever

Speak your names

Your names

Your names

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter, Sedona-Sky Duffy, who understands the importance of Dr. Maya Angelou and Nelson Mandela and the legacy they have both left behind. Paving the way for her to leave her legacy behind if she so chooses. What better gift to give than the gift of history and time to my daughter on her 11^th birthday. Happy Birthday beautiful girl. Phenomenal girl on her way to becoming a Phenomenal Woman with the support of those who have gone before her to pave her way. Namaste.

Sometimes I don't know where to begin

Sometimes I don’t know where to begin

What to say

How to start

Sometimes I feel like I have been wandering

Wandering in the dark

So much

Too much

I can’t find the light

Can’t see the light

Can’t feel it either

Sometimes I am so grateful

For everything that happens to me

That I can’t remember

What has happened to me

Or where I am meant to be

Sometimes I wish I could snap my fingers

And live the life I want

But then what is the life I want

Knowing

I some days want to be this

While others days I want to be that

When do we ever reach the point

Where we are totally satisfied

On a consistent basis

With who we are

Or do we ever reach that stage

Are we meant to constantly question

What it is

That makes us tick

Or do we really like the pursuit

Are more tantalized by it

Than the actual capture

Than actually receiving the prize

What is the prize anyway

Why am I here

When I want to be over there

Why am I doing this

Rather than that

Why I question from time to time

And as I am getting older

I am becoming less patient some days

And more patient others

I can feel the clock ticking

I can hear the clock ticking

I can see the clock ticking

Time is running out

I tell myself

Time is running out

Time tells me

My heart starts to race

My thoughts start to jumble

My anxiety barometer goes through the roof

Stop

Stop I want to tell the clock

Wait for me

Clock

Can’t you hear me

I need more time

More time

To make the right decisions

More time to make sure

I am doing

What I am meant to be doing

Can you hear me clock

Can you hear me Father Time

Because it is a strange feeling

This feeling of limbo

Where I seem to stagnate

Rather than grow

Where I seem to be standing still

While everyone else is moving around me

While the clock keeps ticking

And time keeps moving on

Without me

It seems

How is this true

Who am I

I question more and more

And what is it that I really want to do

Why am I blinded from my truth

Why do I not know my truth

Is it because I am afraid of my truth

Or is this my truth

Weird mood I am in today

Weird so I decided to explore it

Let it come through these words

Let my fingers move over the keyboard

Without filtering

Without thinking too much

Just letting the words flow through my fingertips

Let the flow go

And see where it takes me

And I find myself questioning

Questioning more than answering

Find myself in a state of

I don’t know

Where I am

What I am

Who I am

As the clock ticks

And time moves on

Is it because I am growing

Constantly changing

Sometimes in a major way

Other times in a minuscule way

Or is it because 

I feel like time is not on my side

That I am not on my side

Feel like I am looking from side to side

Ahead and backwards

But not getting the answers that I seek

Until I realize I am not getting the answers

Because I don’t know what the questions are

Don’t understand much right now

So I am just going with the flow

As my writing is showing me this morning

To trust and to let go

To stop thinking so hard

To stop trying too hard

To just stop trying to direct

To stop trying to beat the clock

To stop worrying about time

And instead accept

The clock keeps ticking

Time keeps moving on

As do I

To continue to be grateful

To continue to believe

I live in an abundant world

To continue to have faith

I am alive

Breathing

Breathing

Breathe

To let go and to remember

Some days I will be on point

And others I will not

To accept all of me

All aspects of me

And that time is time

The clock is the clock

Ticking

Ticking

Tick

Tock

The gift of time from a magical day

Yesterday was one of those days when the conditions were so perfect that it felt like I was living in a dream. Truly made me feel like I live in paradise. The temperature was perfect. The sky was clear. The air was fresh. And everyone, everywhere was happy to be where they were. The atmosphere exuded peace, love and celebration.

It is days like yesterday that make possibility seem within reach for all of us. When we forget about our troubles and worries and just embrace life for what it is and can be if we put our minds to it. Because it seemed like a day of magic to me. An unreal day. During the afternoon it felt like there were so many hours to the day. Like time was moving along at a snail’s pace. Giving me the opportunity to do so much, be in so many different places and still have time to do more. Like I was in a time warp in a place where the mad hatter would appear at any moment and disappear down into the rabbit hole. Taking me with him to another place and time. 

And then just like that, as the evening drew near, the hours slipped away quickly. Too quickly it seemed. Reminding me that’s what life is all about. Gives us time to do what we need but then when we procrastinate and not do what we are meant to do in the time it has been allotted to us to do, time hastens, it seems to us. But it does not really at all. It’s just that time keeps moving even when we stagnate until we snap out of the stagnation to see that time keeps going even when we do not.

Time shows us all that time that it is up to us to embrace it and use it wisely and in whatever way suits us. Not the other way around. Time will not stop for us. As I watched the light of the day give way to the dusk sky last night, I, at first, was disappointed that I had not done what I had set out to do. But realized I did what I was meant to do. Relaxed with friends and chatted about everything and nothing at the same time. That I was meant to have a lazy and indulgent day.

Time is time. It neither hastens nor does it slow down. It is what it is. It is only us that hastens or slows down. So it is up to us to be what we want to be in the time that we have and to do what we need to do in the time we have because time is what it is. And it was the magical, beautiful and indulgent day yesterday on Bermuda Day that gave me the gift of time to be in so many places, to do so many things and to see and be with so many different people all day long. Celebrating the diversity of Bermuda in a day full of wonder. So maybe I did follow the mad hatter down the rabbit hole and didn't realize it until now. 

Time and life can be so magical, so mystical and so wonderful when we allow ourselves the time to be still and know and appreciate who we are, where we are and what we are here to do and be. Here’s to the gift of time. And here's to making the best and most of it with gratitude and grace… Namaste

Proud to be Bermudian on #Bermuda Day

Today is the day we celebrate Bermuda Day. One of my favorite days of the year because it brings out the best in most of us Bermudians. The day when we are proud to be Bermudian. When we put down all the trials and tribulations that may be facing us as an Island and come together as a people. When we remember that love conquers all. When we are free from hate and embrace love.

When political fighting is put to the side. When our economic woes are forgotten for the day. When foreigners are embraced as locals as well as we watch them join in our annual half marathon, making up just as much in numbers in the race as Bermudians do now.  When they come to watch our annual parade that may not be as glamorous as it is in other places but it is ours nonetheless.

 It is beautiful to see all walks of life, Bermudian and nonBermudians, black, white, and everything in between,  tourists and locals, young and old coming together on this day to celebrate Bermuda day. There are some that come out for the road race, the parade, and others that take their first dip in the ocean for the year. While there are others who choose to spend time with loved ones somewhere that makes them happy while others just veg. But this is a day that always makes me smile.

Yesterday as my daughter and I were driving through Hamilton, I could not help getting a tear in my eye ( I think aging makes me feel more nostalgic about everything because tears comes so freely to me now) as we saw families sitting in their chairs, camping to get their spots along the race route and parade route. Families, friends, strangers laughing and joking with each other as they waited to make sure they had a bird’s eye view of the festivities of today. Some had been there since Friday night to make sure they had their prime traditional spots. And as we drove along, we spotted family names taped along the way to make sure no one took their spot. Absent but present by their markings.  Making us chuckle at how seriously people take getting their spot for the day’s activities.

I imagined families home cooking meals and planning the day to make sure they are prepared for spending the entire day in their spots. Reacquainting themselves with people they may not have seen since the year before. I imagined the excitement people were feeling about getting ready for our day, Bermuda Day steeped in tradition. And I couldn’t help but smile and feel a bit emotional about it all.

It is times like these that give me hope for humanity. Gives me hope for us that we are all looking for the same thing. To be acknowledged, remembered and loved. To be happy and to be free. It is times like these that makes me realize there is nothing more enduring than tradition and heritage. That we remember who we are and where we come from because it prepares us for our place in this world. Reminds us there is no need to be hateful and hostile to each other because we are striving for the same thing and in remembering that we honor those that cross our paths because we are all doing the best we can with the resources we have.

Good luck to all the runners today in the half marathon and best wishes to all those who are taking part in the parade. To all the spectators remember what this day is all about - it is about us celebrating and remembering who we are as a people, Bermudian and local people alike. Sharing this space to make it as beautiful as Mother Nature has given us this picture perfect Bermudaful day just for us. With gratitude.

Happy Bermuda Day to my fellow Bermudians and locals wherever you may be in this world and whatever you may be doing today. I am so Proud to be Bermudian….

Grieving in my own way

No matter how old I get. No matter how mature I become. No matter the years that have come between that dreadful day and the present moment, I am still transported back to the night when my world was turned upside down on the anniversary of my mother’s death.  That feeling I cannot shake. The feeling that sneaks up on me and slaps me in the face. That feeling that even has a smell. A noxious smell that takes over my nostrils. Stinging my eyes. Forcing out tears. Tears that come not often anymore but come when I least expect.

I woke up yesterday morning feeling that feeling. That feeling I could not pinpoint at first. But it asked me to go back to sleep. To close my eyes and shut out the day. That feeling that asked me to cover myself and protect myself from the awakening to the realization of what the date of the day meant.

I got out of bed and looked out the window. Looked at life still going on even in its silence. Even in its stillness I could feel the guilt I felt when the grief started to lessen and my laughter returned. I could feel the shame I felt that though I was broken by my mother’s death, I was starting to live again. I could feel all the confusion I felt as a 13 year old girl that life was moving on without the most important person in my life. The thought that I was betraying her by living again.

I busied myself then. Doing anything to take my mind of what the day meant for me. Finding something to do.  Anything so I would not feel the remorse rising in my chest. Fighting it away before it sealed my throat so I could not breathe. I chose to write about my mother yesterday. To write about my grief and acceptance. But grief is a powerful and gripping thing. It comes and goes when we least expect it. Taking us down into the darkness even when we believe we have found the light. Tricking us into thinking we have found the light.

I posted my blog thinking I had dealt with what I was feeling only to wake up this morning feeling a pain in my chest, tears stinging my eyes and I knew grief had come back. Come back to claim me. To send me on that roller coaster ride only grief can do. So I decided to write about what I am feeling once again. To allow myself to grieve. To allow myself to go through the pain that remains deep down. The pain that never goes away. Fades. But never goes away.

The pain that is why I know compassion more than I ever would have had I not lost someone so dear to me. So special to me because pain opens us up to compassion in ways not possible without knowing what it is like to face the abyss and think there is no point of return. But then a day comes when the abyss becomes not darkness but light. Suddenly turning into a magical, inviting, beautiful lake. A lake of clear water with a bottom. A lake that is filled with my tears. Tears of joy and sadness. Letting me know that no matter what; life is what I make it. What I feel. What I believe.

That it is up to me to either fall into the darkness of the abyss or keep going until it shimmers with light and evolves into this beautiful lake made from my tears.  To take every experience that comes my way as a lesson. The tears are giving way now. Giving way to understanding once again. Releasing the grief that was paralyzing my heart. And opening me up to live again. To be again. To welcome compassion in my life. To embrace compassion. To be compassion. Because that's what pain is teaching us. Giving us. The gift of compassion.

And there they were this morning

And there they were this morning like messages from the other world – the ethereal world-  the crescent moon and a bright star to its left in the eastern dawn sky. Shining like beacons of light willing me to contemplate life and the eternal. To know that when death comes, it is not final but just another part of the journey. Filling me with hope and possibility. Filling me with love. The light from them radiating throughout my being.

Reassuring me that even though this date will forevermore be marred by the fact that we buried my mother. Sent her to the other side, away from my physical presence, she always remains in my heart. Always remains in my soul. Always remains because I am part of her and she is part of me. I inhaled deeply then sat and meditated. Allowing thoughts of life, thoughts of choice, thoughts of possibility to filter through my mind as tears stung my eyes. As feelings from deep down bubbled to the surface. As life and death met halfway in between and let me know that there is no escaping either one of them. Both gifts from the Divine. Both arriving at the time they are meant to.

One sending us into this human world and the other to the ethereal world. And though I have feelings of sadness rushing through me as my mind takes me back to that time some 38 years ago when I thought my life had come to an end as we lowered my mother’s physical body into the ground, I realized it was just beginning. A new chapter. A new state of being. A new state of understanding. A new state of resilience would come into me. A realization that even when life brings us to our knees as long as we are open, as long as we are willing, as long as we have faith, our bowed knees will soon give us the strength to rise again. To allow us to stand tall again. To let go of what was meant to be let go but still keep it in the recesses of our minds, to hold it close to our hearts, to know that love never dies and as such neither do we truly.

Because when we love and are truly loved in return, a piece of us always remains even when we are long gone. That piece that is the essence of who we are just like the crescent moon this morning with its shining star to its left, I knew that was my mother and I, the pact we had made before we came to this physical realm, the pact that said we would always be together no matter what. Liberating me from the guilt and the regret. Instead opening me to all that is, was and ever will be. Because there is no greater feeling than the feeling of love even when we think it has left us.  That love has betrayed us. Enslaved us to the darkness.

In time we realize, love never dies when we reach deep and surrender, we realize love is all that remains because love is who we are, were and always will be.

And there they were this morning – truly messages from the ethereal world. Sent to free me. To remind me that love never dies. It remains even when we bury someone we truly love because all we have buried is their physical bodies. But we can never bury their spiritual bodies because they never ever die. They always remain.

And as I finish typing this, the dawn sky and the moon and the star have gone. Died. Moved on giving way to the morning sky. Leaving behind an orangy pink glow as the light of the sun is born to start this beautiful new day of possibility and love. Death and birth.

With gratitude for the time I spent with my beautiful, crazy mother on this day when we buried her physical body some 38 years before giving her angel wings and allowing her ethereal body to be liberated forever and ever. Giving her the permission to be within me always.  Amen.

Stillness

Stillness is an amazing feeling

Because there is always movement

Even when we are still

Because we are never still

Stillness grounds us

But allows us to float at the same time

Allows our minds to come alive

While our bodies are still

Stillness is so powerful

Because it engulfs us

Enraptures us

Quietens us

Allows us to surrender

To the flow

Constantly going on
Within us

But we don’t see, hear or feel

Because we are moving too much

Busy too much

To feel what is being asked to be felt

Stillness is a beautiful feeling

When we are not afraid

Afraid to be alone with our essence self

That one that talks to us

Answers us

Directs us

The one that is who we are

The one that will never lead us astray

When we are brave enough

To hear her voice

To listen to his call

The sound of silence

The stillness of our physical

Allowing the dance of our ethereal to erupt

To take center stage

To extend a hand

To ask us to join

In the rhythm of our soul

Stillness is only for the courageous

The one who can stand the sound of the Divine

The Divine that resides within us all

That bring us face to face with shadow

That shows us there is no wrong or right

Nor black and white

That if we accept the greyness of life

We will let go of judgment

Condemnation

And the fear of failing

Because we will understand

That the fall was the best thing

That could have happened to us

The most liberating face plant

We have ever experienced

Because stillness allow us to see

There is always movement

Even when we are standing still

Even when all is silent

Because when we are still

We hear the voice

The voice of the Divine

The one who resides
Within us all

Letting us know

We are the Divine
As the Divine is us

In stillness we hear

And feel

The sound of who we are

The touch of who we are

The voice of the Divine

Stillness

Can you hear it

Can you feel it

Can you own it

Stillness

Amen

I live in a glass house Stella

There is a man who stands at the foot of Spurling Hill every morning. This man wears a shirt with a saying on it to Stella. A curious man who says nothing but holds up the peace sign with his hand. And every day when we drive by, my children and I, can’t wait to see what his shirt says. And more importantly we are curious about who the man is and who Stella is. And what has caused him to have these sayings on his shirt addressed to Stella but there is no way that we can stop. No way we can ask who the man is and what Stella means to him.

But one thing I know for sure is that sometimes his messages to Stella resonate with me even when we laugh at the curious man. It is like he is a consciousness of his own - willing us to notice him and to read his message. Willing us to be curious and ask what his sayings mean. Willing us to think and to be compassionate.

The saying that resonates the most with me particularly in these trying times for me and our community, as a nation, is the one that says. “Don’t throw stones. I live in a glass house, Stella.”

A message we can all take to heart because each one of us lives in a glass house. A house which can be broken at any moment by the stones we throw at others. Because we have done things equally as bad as they have or experienced circumstances equally as bad if not worse than they have. So when we cast a stone at them, we are casting the stone back at ourselves endangering our own safety and security because at any point that stone will come back and break down our house.

So why do we cast stones? Why do we try to make people feel worse for the situations they find themselves in? Is it because deep down inside we are afraid that someone will find us out. Someone will discover who we really are and that we too have things to hide? Do we try our best to deflect the attention away from ourselves by throwing not one but many stones at others - falsely believing by doing so there will be no more stones left to be thrown at us?

If that is the case, we are in for a rude awakening because with every single stone we cast, we are creating karma for ourselves. With every stone that hits the glass house, we are creating an equal and opposite reaction that will eventually come back and not only hit our glass house but will shatter it. Leaving us open, exposed and unprotected from all the stones that come our way. Until each one of those stones pummels us to the ground. Leaving us wounded and in a heap because we forgot that every time we throw a stone we are exposing our own vulnerabilities to the world.

Only those that appreciate the glass house and know that it is fragile will know not to throw stones but to accept that at some point in our lives, we will stumble and fall. We will make mistakes. We will do things we are not proud of. And the reason we live in the glass house is so that everyone can see we are human just as they are. 

So we can see there is no need to throw stones to break down their glass house because we understand we all live in glass houses because we are all growing, learning and vulnerable.  We are all perfect imperfect beings prone to mistakes and mishaps.

To the man who stands at the bottom of Spurling Hill, thank you. We could all learn a lot from you rather than laughing at you because you are showing us your fragility and vulnerability every single day by standing there reminding us of how fragile we all are. Reminding us all we all live in glass houses so we need not cast stones at anyone. Because as the infamous bible quote says, “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” I know I don’t qualify. Do you?

Have we truly evolved as a human race?

Have we truly evolved as a human race 

Or are we still stuck in our hunter stage

Do we truly want to see anyone succeed

Or do we believe when someone succeeds it makes us look bad

Do we spend more energy pulling down those who stick their heads above the crowd

Than we do helping them to raise their heads above the crowd

Do we get more pleasure out of destroying people who are brave enough to make a stand

Than we do at taking a stand ourselves

Have we decided that it is better to be in constant chaos

Than it is to promote peace, love and compassion

I ask these questions because my country is going through yet another watershed moment

A moment when a man, rightly or wrongly, we may never know because of the he / she said stuff happening,has been ousted from a post of honor

A man who has a family as, Liana Hall, so eloquently reminds us in her post about what she experienced as the daughter of a fallen man 

I ask these questions because I am trying to understand our nature 

What drives us at the moment

What makes us tick

Have we become so desensitized to everything because our news has now become like something out of a gossip magazine

Where we  spend more time on style than we do on substance

Where the person who mounts the greatest attack

The most elegant oratory is declared the winner even if what he says makes no sense

Even if what she says may not be true but we want it to be true so we can bring down another person because in doing so it deflects away from our own shortcomings 

We,as a people, need to think seriously about where we are going and what we want from our leaders 

Those we let elect as our spokespeople because they are reflections of who we are as a society

Because they become our collective consciousness because we put them there 

And then when they do something to disappoint,as we all do as human beings, we take absolute glee in destroying them

Bringing them down

Watching them crash

As we dance around their fallen bodies

Like jackals after they have fallen their prey

Forgetting they are of us

Forgetting they have families

Forgetting we put them there

Forgetting we have a lot to answer for ourselves 

So I go back to my first question 

Have we truly evolved as a race

Or are we still the hunters we were when we first stood up

Is the chase sweeter than the capture still to us

And is that why we do all we can to pull down any man or woman who dares to stick his or her head above the rest

A question we all need to ask ourselves as we go through yet another dark day in politics

The politics we help to create

A reflection of us all

A system we help to create

May we find peace

For if we don't what will we become

Message from the fiery red morning sky

This morning I opened the window to see the angriest red sky I have seen in a while. It caught my attention because it was a surprise. I was not expecting to see the sky as fiery because while I was in bed I could hear my red bird singing at the top of his lungs, drowning out the sound of the sparrows, kiskadees and doves. I was expecting the same clear beautiful sky I had seen for the last several mornings.

And as I looked at the fire in the sky, a chill ran through me about the change in weather this ominous sky was warning me about. But there was also a feeling of beauty and mystery about the sky. Something that highlighted the vividness of the red through the clouds that softened its fire. Complemented it making it seem a bit feminine. A lot less threatening and a lot more inviting.

I announced to my husband that the weather was about to change because the sky was telling me so. And then I sat down to meditate and write my blog . A blog that had been in my mind since yesterday only to discover our Intrrnet was still down from last night.

At first I was angry which quickly turned to disappointment then despair. How in the world can it be that my Internet goes down so much in this day and age. 

And as I was going through my myriad of emotions, the redness of the sky turned from red to pink as the greyness of the clouds became more prominent. Shifting my thought process from that of despair to opportunity. To accept that just as those fiery red clouds gave way to pink and changed the whole look of the sky so could I with the situation I found myself in.

So I compromised and pulled out my IPhone. Feeling really grateful to have one and turned off my wifi connection so I could roam in the Cloud to connect to YouTube and meditate. Grateful for  the clouds outside reminding me of how genius was the person who tapped into the power of the Cloud. Grateful for my little phone that can do so much.

Interestingly enough the meditation that popped up just for me was called Hearts of Fire making me smile. I knew it was sent just for me.

To remind me that even in the face of adversity our hearts hold the fire to find a solution to anything when we allow it. When we trust it. When we let go and let be.

After I came out of my meditation, I knew instantly that the red sky was not only to forwarn me of the changing weather but also to forwarn me to be ready to color outside the lines. To find the opportunity in everything and if I do, I will find the peace within the fire that will protect me from being burnt or put out of sorts.

I let go of the blog I had in my head that I thought I was supposed to write and instead wrote the one I was meant to write  - the one I am writing right now. 

Teaching me when we let go and give up the fight and do as we are meant to do rather than what we think we ought to do, we find ourselves in the flow . And we see the beauty in all things even when they frighten us at first as did the ominous red sky this morning. Frightening but beautiful and liberating at the same time sending me down a different path to the one  I woke thinking I  was going to take and leading me down the one I was meant to take.

And just as I am coming to the end of writing my blog, my majestic red bird started to sing again at the top of his lungs. Letting me know there is fire in my day today because red has been more prominent than anything else this morning. 

Here 's to compromise and going  with the flow from the gift of the red sky and my cardinal singing to me while my Internet failed to load.

Happy Monday, an interesting start to a work week begun by forcing me to color outside the lines. Look out world here I come with my heart on fire and my soul ready for any challenge. What a wonderful way to begin the week. So grateful. Namaste.

When life calls, we better answer

When life calls, we better answer because sometimes that call is the call for us to act, to be, to love, to live.

It is a second chance to step into our own. To be our own.  To own our own. To claim our own.

The call may be subtle or it may be direct if we fail to take heed the first time. When life calls, we better answer because it is nudging us, directing us, helping us. Answering our call. Our call from deep within.

Life is mysterious and without destination until we close our eyes for the final time. It knows no bounds. Knows no limitations except for when we impose ourselves. Starving life of giving us the branch we need.  The boost we asked for.

Life is wild and tame at the same time.  A journey and we must take the time to enjoy it, laugh at ourselves when we find ourselves going down a terrifying road. A road which we must travel from time to time in order for us to appreciate the flowers, the trees, the birds and the bees.

We have to remember that life is not always about beauty. Sometimes we have to face the ugly in order to appreciate the beauty. Just like some days will be perfect, the perfect temperature, not a cloud n the sky while other days will be dark, thundery, full of rain. Stormy.

When life calls, we better answer because it may be our chance to break free from the shackles we have imposed upon ourselves. It may be our call to live to our fullest. To love from our core.  To live out our dreams. To be our dreams.

Life is exciting because we don’t know where it will lead us and sometimes that scares us, frightens us to want to stand still. And sometimes we have to stand still. But we can’t stand still for the rest of our lives because when we do we find we stagnate rather than grow. We find we are searching constantly. Our souls hungry for the more we know we were sent here for. Our desires becoming larger than our actions. Taking over so we go within too much because we are afraid to come out.

But when life calls, we better answer because it is inviting us out. To be seen. To live. Answer…

There is no right time

There is no right time. A phrase a keynote speaker said last night that stuck with me. Resonated so deep with me.

Don’t be afraid. Innovate.  He continued. Sending shivers down my spine. Bringing me face to face with my shadow self who had been whispering to me all along but I had suppressed her. Snuffed her out with fear of failing again. Choosing what’s safe over what was mine for the taking.

So what I heard him say was when others are throwing up their hands and saying there is nothing we can do, that’s when it’s time to put our heads down and do what we need to do. Find the path that others have overlooked in exasperation. Find the light that is waiting just for us.

And because there is no right time, I believe there is no wrong time either. Time is what it is and it is up to us to do what we know is right. Use whatever time is available to us to become.

When opportunity presents itself, we need to go for it because it may never come back again. When we hesitate, when we are afraid, those who present us with the opportunity sense our fear and move away.  Because they see the light and are afraid to go to it as well. They subconsciously are seeking those who share their same vision and same sense of adventure, those who can taste the victory to get to the light to join them. They do not want anyone in their space who will cause the fear to grow so much that the dream dies or begins to fade.

They do not need people who validate their fears because then it sets them back as well.  Makes them question whether what they are doing is right. Makes them question why they sought us out in the first place.

Life is all about going for what makes us feel good. What makes us tick. When we hesitate, we open the door for others who are waiting for that same opportunity, to come in and seize what was meant to be ours. Leaving us standing in the dust with regret about the decisions we did not make when we had the chance.

There is no right time and hence there is no wrong time. Equal and opposite and so true. What separates those who do from those that don’t is the realization that there is no right time nor any wrong time. It is just time to seize the opportunity. To do what is right for us. Just time.

The importance of making time to exercise

I started exercising again because I have seen the results in others. The dedication of others to feeling better about themselves. And you know what I am finding that contrary to past beliefs that I hate it,  I  am really enjoying it. I like the sense of accomplishment I feel after I am done. I also feel like I have given my body a gift by exercising it and in doing so, I free up my mind by releasing endorphins into it. I find after I exercise that I am more productive, bouncier and feel like I can do anything.

What I also realize is that we put all sorts of obstacles in our way to prevent us from taking care of ourselves because when we take care of ourselves we feel guilty. Feel like we should be busy doing something more. Showing to the world how busy we are rather than taking the time to work on ourselves. Sometimes I believe we have become so caught up in society’s expectations that we are tied to our desks or attending meetings for the sake of attending them or doing something other than taking care of ourselves that we neglect to take care of ourselves. Instead we do what others expect rather than do what resonates with us. What makes us feel better.

But when  we give ourselves time, carve time out of the day, block our calendars so no one will intrude onto our personal time, we find that we get better results. We find that we are happier about life because we are happier about ourselves.

I hope I can continue my health consciousness now without feeling pressured to do things that take me away from it. Without feeling guilty. Without feeling like I am not contributing to society. Because what I am learning is by taking care of myself I am a better contributor to society because I feel that much better about myself. And in feeling better about myself, I can extend that feeling out to anyone who crosses my path. And I can go with the flow rather than going against it.

The lady that I trained with told me that our muscles have a memory of when we used to exercise and once we start exercising our bodies automatically go back to a place we used to be. I believe her because I could feel my muscle sighing in gratitude that they were put to use again. I could feel them responding gratefully to being worked again. I can also feel the pain of neglecting them. The dichotomy of life, along with pain there comes gain. My body is definitely illustrating the pain and gain syndrome right now showing me how much I have neglected my body.

It is so easy to find excuses for why we cannot give ourselves the time to be with ourselves , to exercise in whatever way we see fit but the more we starve ourselves of exercise, the more we deprive ourselves of being the contributors to society we asked to come here to be. So I am going to enjoy this phase of my life for as long as I can. Not projecting into tomorrow and not worrying about whether I can feel this way all the time. Not putting too much pressure on myself to do more than I am capable of such that I give up.

I just know that the only excuses that stop me from giving myself the time I need to exercise my body are the excuses I allow to get in my way.  Exercising mind, body and spirit allows us to be more balanced and feel whole and I intend to do this as much as I can. Even if it means just one day a week some weeks. Because more than anything I know I make my own sunshine. No one else can.  So here’s to exercise and more sunshine in my life. 

Romance is a wonderful thing

Romance is a wonderful thing

It sweeps in when we least expect

When we’re not looking for it

But somehow it finds us

Like last night

When

My husband and I

Connected on a deep level

A level beyond the physical

From a simple gesture

He stood outside with binoculars in hand

Looking up at the moon

The majestic full moon

I sat inside but felt his pull

My husband’s need

His desire for me to join him

Communication without words

Through walls and barriers

As if none existed

The female warrior within me

Heard my man’s call

And out I went

Joining him silently

Without words

He handed me the binoculars

And I looked up at the moon

The big full moon

That looked like a perfect round ball

A bouncy ball

Through the lens of the binoculars

Almost like something out of a fairy tale

Almost like something imagined and not true

But true it was

Just like the romance

That flowed between my husband and me

Barely touching physically

But touching in a way that transcends the physical

And dances with the metaphysical

That sways us from side to side

And keeps us bonded together

Because of the history we share

The words that need not be spoken

As we shared a moment

A quiet moment of togetherness

Enjoying the moon

The stars

The clouds that covered the moon

Then dispersed

The mysterious light that sped across the sky

That was too fast to be an airplane

A satellite perhaps my husband reasoned

But adding to the romance of the stolen moment

We shared together

Husband and wife

Under the richness of the full moon

Its roundness reminding me

Of my pregnant belly

When I carried first my son

Then my daughter

So full of life

So full of love

So full of mystery

Romance is a wonderful thing

That comes knocking when we least expect it

And when we are not looking for it

But it finds us when we are ready

When we answer its call

Making its presence known

Romance

Deep

Passion

Love

Without words

Shared from an intimate space

Grown from love

All under the light and mystery

Of a few stolen moments

Stoked by the big full moon

Romance

True romance

Grown from love

Honour

Trust

And faith

Brought back to reality

Under the light of the full moon

With gratitude and grace

And love and light

Namaste

When disappointment comes

Disappointment comes from expectations being dashed. Disappointment, in its very essence, is judgment that someone did not do what we expected. That something did not turn out as we expected. Disappointment is our way of judging people, places and things. When we have no expectations, we can not be disappointed because we have no reason to judge.

But letting go of expectations totally and honestly is very difficult to do because we are human and imperfect. And we have come to think people are supposed to be a certain way. We believe certain situations are meant to go a certain way. And when they don’t we become disappointed, jaded and sometimes unnerved.

Sometimes with disappointment, we are so gutted that we feel stuck. Cannot react. Do not know how to move forward and in those instances we need to dig deep, really deep to determine why we can’t move. Is it because we feel whatever we do will be a reflection on us rather than trying to help the person in need. The one who “disappointed” us. Is it a cry for help from them that they need us? That they can’t handle the pressure they are under and need us to help them to come out from under the burden they have been carrying? To help them to be who they are meant to be? To help us to be who we are meant to be?

The one thing we need to learn is that life will present us with many disappointments along the way because we cannot truly break free of expectations as we are human. However when life does disappoint,  we have to look at the disappointment for what it is and be grateful it showed up because it is helping us to make decisions about where to go next.

Remembering always that when we judge others, we open ourselves to be judged back. Opening the door wide for disappointment to come charging into our lives.  Life is a journey, a process of learning and we need not hold onto disappointment beyond getting the lesson we are meant to learn because if we do, we stunt our growth.

Life is all about making mistakes that are really lessons for us all to learn. So perhaps a way forward is to reframe our thinking to know that there are no mistakes only lessons to be learned. And in doing so, the effect of disappointment on us will be less severe. Paving the way for us to be more forgiving and compassionate rather than judgmental and feeling as if we are more superior.

When we step away from people that have disappointed us, situations that have unravelled in ways least expected, we realize are being given a gift. A gift to change course. A key to a door that had been locked before that we could not get through. Because we are being given the opportunity to assess the why of our disappointment in order to understand the way forward.

Every disappointment we feel is a gateway to a new beginning. A new way of thinking because disappointment comes to warn us about something. About someone. It comes as a lesson for everyone and everything involved to know how to handle a person or situation should it arise again or to stop it from  reoccurring. What a gift disappointment truly is because it awakens a part of us we have tried to suppress.

So the next time disappointment comes, embrace it as an opportunity to change course, to redirect, to become more open to learning about ourselves and others and see what happens. Remembering always to breathe.

Mother

Mother

Such a powerful force

Such a powerful word

Because it means so much

She means so much

The vessel through most of us come

The body in which most of us grow

The being that nurtures us

Cuddles us

Feeds us

Cares for us

Grows us

Mother

To most she is a symbol of our beginning

For lots she remains physically

For others like me

She is a figment of our imagination

Someone we create to be bigger than she ever was

Because she left us before we were ready

Until we realize we were ready

She had prepared us from the day we were born

Helping us

Nurturing us

To be ready for the day she has to leave us

And even though at the time

Our hearts were broken

Our souls were shattered

Our faith shaken

Now, for me,

When I look back

She freed me

Gave me the best gifts ever

The gift of resilience

The gift of independence

The gift of knowing no matter what

There is light at the end of the tunnel

Mother

Feel her meaning flow through us

Feel her fill us up

Even when we think she has left us empty

Because she has not

A mother

A true mother

Always leaves us full

Only mothers can do that

Whether they are biological

Or surrogate

Or just have shown up in our lives

Exactly when we needed them

Need them

Always there with us

Like angels

Spreading their wings

Enfolding us in their grasp

Leading us

Directing us

Loving us

Unconditionally

Even when the path is tangled

And there seems to be no end

Mother always knows

Even when she thinks she does not

Because she has the instinct

That resides deep within

The guide that comes on 

The day

She becomes mother

Mother

There is no other word like it

No word to fully describe what she means

Because her presence and essence

Go beyond meaning

Go beyond reasoning

A bond like no other

Such that even when she is gone

She remains

In our hearts

In our souls

In our dreams

In our spirits

In us

Because we are her

As she is us

Mother

Love like no other

Unshaken

Eternal

Mother

Community service is so important

Community service is so important. Even more so when we think we are too busy to get involved because more than anything in order to receive we have to give back. Give back to those who need us the most. Charities are there to raise awareness of those who have less or need help in setting up services that will benefit the whole community - at least that is the role of good charities.

We always think we are too busy but sometimes stepping out of our everyday environments and getting involved in the community allows us to break from our norm and open ourselves to something new. Something outside of our every day existence where we can’t see the end in view. But doing something that inspires us by providing service,  I think in the long run helps us to change our mindset because it broadens our horizons. Give us a fresh perspective on what is truly going on in our community and the tools needed to keep our communities going.

Getting our hands dirty when we don’t normally get our hands dirty makes us appreciate those who do it all day long. Being out in the raging sun makes us appreciate those who have to do it all day long. Spending time with children less fortunate than us makes us realize just how fortunate we are and the work that is being done every day by teachers and helpers to help our children to flourish. Because all children in our community are our children because they are our future.

Community service put us in contact with people we would not normally come into contact with us. Giving us all better perspective on each other’s lives. Bridging gaps that would not normally be bridged.  Making room for stereotypes to be broken down and a sense of togetherness to flourish. Making us see all we all want is to be heard, seen and understood.

It is so important for us to get out into our communities. Move away from  our daily routines, our safe havens so we can become more inclusive of each other in physical way. And when we do, we see how nonsensical it is for us to stay in our corners throwing stones at each other because we don’t understand our different perspectives.  We also learn just how much work goes into charities and community work.

Yesterday my company took part in a global day of giving where we all step away from our norm and go out into the community and give back to those who need services.  Every single time I take part in this day, I appreciate so much about what goes on behind the scenes for organizations. I gain an appreciation for the work people do to help to make our world a better place.

Community service is more important than ever now because we need to support each other more as our world goes through transition. We need to make space for each other and try to understand that everyone has a role to play in helping our world to continue to flourish. And it includes those organizations and people who are not just about making a profit. It includes those who are providing essential services at a sacrifice. More than anything, community service fills us with hope and faith and love about our society because service comes from the heart and soul.

As Maya Angelou so eloquently says, “ I have found that among its other benefits giving liberates the soul of the giver.”  Community service liberate our souls and broadens our minds to the benefits of giving back to our community. Allowing us to become more compassionate and empathetic people.

LOL

And laugh too

Belly aching laughter

The kind that comes form the soul

And reaches out into the world

The kind that is infectious 

That spreads to everyone 

The kind that makes our cheeks hurt 

From pain and delight at the same time

Laughter is the music of the soul

The release of endorphins that are contagious

Because

Laughter make us feel young

Beautiful and free

Laughter comes from the soul 

Laughter is so healing

Because it allows us to become childlike

Letting go of the carefully cultivated exteriors

To reveal the child that resides on the inside

The one that takes nothing seriously

The one that knows that life is full of ups and downs

Ins and outs

Beginnings and endings

People that come and go

The one that knows

We are foot loose and fancy free

The one that combines laugher with movement

Shaking free of the darkness, the doldrums

When we laugh

When we really laugh

Laugh out loud

From the depths of our souls

My friend reminded yesterday after I wrote about smiling

How important it is to laugh too

And as soon as I read her post

I laughed because

That’s what laughter does

It spreads

Opening one soul which leads to the opening of many souls

When we hear laughter something inside us wants to laugh too

Wants to know what caused the laughter

Because it is a release

A welcome release

One that we must allow ourselves to do

Give ourselves permission 

To find something to laugh at every single day

And see how our outlook on life becomes brighter

More hopeful

And full of faith

Because we know no matter what

No matter how

No matter who

We have the ability to shift

To turn ourselves around

To shut out the darkness

And the negativity

As well as the pestilence

When we laugh

And laugh out loud

Find something today

To laugh at

Even if it is at yourself

At ourselves

Because laughter is the best medicine

The direct path

To being able to love ourselves

Because when we laugh

We honour the place within us

The sacred space

That says I am who I am

And I love myself unconditionally

Laugh

And then you will know what I say to be true

Because laughter liberates

Breaks down boundaries

And gives us peace

So go ahead

Laugh

Laugh out loud

Laugh from the soul

Belly aching

Uninhibited 

Spiritual laughter 

Now don’t you feel better

I know I do

LOL